Ukraine: Russia has destroyed 20% -30% of the country’s infrastructure

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has damaged or destroyed nearly 30 percent of the country’s infrastructure at a cost of $ 100 billion, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said on Monday, adding that reconstruction could be achieved in two years with funding from Moscow’s “frozen” assets.

Ukraine has not once again mentioned the cost of the country’s damaged infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, by Russian troops, but Ukrainian officials have said that the total “account” for the damage caused by Russia to infrastructure, buildings and housing, to date amounts to about $ 500 billion.

“Almost all transport infrastructure has been affected in one way or another,” Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov told Reuters.

He added that more than 300 bridges on the national road network have been damaged or destroyed, more than 8,000 km of roads need to be repaired or rebuilt, and dozens of railway bridges have been blown up. The cost is estimated at $ 100 billion so far.

The Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure stated that his ministry has begun rebuilding infrastructure in areas that have once again come under the control of Ukrainian forces.

“As for the roads, the bridges and the residential buildings, I believe that almost everything could be rebuilt in two years… if everyone works hard,” Kubrakov said.

In the first weeks of the war, Russian forces approached Kyiv, causing extensive damage to cities and infrastructure in the wider area of ​​the Ukrainian capital. Russian troops have now withdrawn from the northern part of the country around the capital this month to focus on the east and south, where the besieged port city of Mariupol has been almost completely destroyed.

Kubrakov stressed that he expects Western countries to support Ukraine in the reconstruction process, adding that funds could be found from various sources.

“There are many sources under consideration. The first is the assets of the Russian Federation, which are now ‘frozen’ in almost all powerful countries,” he said.

The European Union is seeking to set up an international fund to rebuild Ukraine, and some European politicians have called for the use of Russian assets pledged by the West, including $ 300 billion in Russian central bank reserves.

Kubrakov stressed that the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice and some of Ukraine’s allies are considering ways to use the seized Russian assets, noting that one option would be to raise funds by selling confiscated assets, as he called it. called it a “transparent mechanism.”